


Little and Large

by emmaliza



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Alcohol, Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Past Character Death, Pining, Series A
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22770598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmaliza/pseuds/emmaliza
Summary: Vila has always considered himself a practical man. And so he reasons: he should find the biggest, toughest guy in the cells, and rely on him for protection.There's no reason that should leave him as afraid as anything else.
Relationships: Olag Gan/Vila Restal
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Little and Large

**Author's Note:**

> Is this ship a thing? Idk & idc, it cute.

Vila has always considered himself a practical man. When he finds himself en route to a Federation prison colony, his expert talents of escape seemingly not about to get him out of this one, he starts thinking about how he's meant to survive this. He's not the sort who's going to get anywhere out of pure physical strength. Sneakiness and subterfuge, those are the only things he's good at, and maybe those will tide him over for the months it takes them to reach Cygnus Alpha, but after that... Vila isn't stupid, he knows the Federation doesn't send its prisoners to a tropical paradise. The environment there is going to be hard, and tough, and bitter, and Vila is going to need _something_ to get him through it.

And so he reasons: he should find the biggest, toughest guy in the cells, and rely on him for protection.

Luckily, the biggest toughest guy in the cells isn't hard to find. He kind of stands out. Murder, they say he's in for, but Vila nobly resolves to stop caring about that. Gan seems to like him. He doesn't say much, but Vila can tell, from how Gan smiles kindly when Vila comes up to him. And Vila, Vila's a simple fellow. He tends to like people who like him. It's a weakness of his.

Gan's simple kindness plays no small part in keeping him sane during the eight months they spend aboard the _London_. And Vila worries about the future. He thinks, once they make it to Cygnus Alpha, he'll need Gan more than ever. On this ship, there are guards to tell them how they're meant to suffer, but out there, they could suffer in all sorts of ways even he can't imagine. And so he's gonna need Gan, for protection.

And yes, part of him does know what he might be expected to do for _protection._ But he can't imagine Gan doing that. He seems a total gentleman, not that Vila's much of a person to tell. But Gan wouldn't take advantage of him, Vila knows that, somehow. That's rather a stupid thing to know.

One night, they're passing through some pocket of deep space and it's cold, for some reason. Vila didn't even know it could get cold on a spaceship. “You're shivering,” Gan tells him as Vila huddles at his feet, curled into himself as much as possible. “Come here.”

Vila is, needless to say, a bit surprised when he's pulled up to sit on Gan's lap. Their fellow prisoners give them a few curious looks, but they can hardly talk, half of them have shacked up already. Vila feels a vague concern, that this might be Gan collecting on the debt he feels he's owed, but no, it doesn't look like it. He just sighs and leans back into his chair, falling asleep with no hint of arousal. Vila leans into him, feels him warm and soft and yielding. Strong arms wrap around his back, and they make him smile.

Well, he's certainly slept in more uncomfortable places.

* * *

“You touch him again, I going to break your arms and legs off.”

Gan gets protective over him quickly. Well, not that quickly, given they've been stuck on a spaceship together for months – but quick enough. And Vila's glad. Really, that's what he was counting on. That he could somehow make Gan want to protect him. And it seems to have worked, although he's not quite sure what he did to make it work.

Of course, Cygnus Alpha is even less welcoming than it sounded on the brochure, but there's not much they can do about that now, is there? Vila reckons he should stay by Gan's side, not take unnecessary risks, and who knows, they might even survive on this godforsaken rock. For at least five minutes, anyway. Which is longer than he'd make it on his own.

However he soon realises there is one big problem with his plan – and that is than Gan is _brave_. He learned that back on the _London_ , with Blake's little mutiny. Vila knows he shouldn't have gone along with that, he probably wouldn't have, if not for Gan joining in, making it look like the best of a bad lot. Anyway. Gan is brave enough to go charging off into the dark, distant unknown, giving Vila no choice but to follow.

And following after Gan leaves them captives of whoever it is who lives here, infected with some strange disease, but Vila reasons, alright. They've got the drug, they can take it when they need. Clearly people have set up some kind of society here. It might even be possible to form a new life together. Maybe there are things to steal!

But then Blake comes back, which complicates everything. Blake wants them all on board his ship. They, conversely, don't want to die. Vila is very committed to the not-dying cause, and hence wants to stick as close to the life-saving drugs as possible.

But Gan, of course Gan, brave Gan, he's the first to sign up to Blake's impossible plan. And so Vila goes with him. He's still telling himself that sticking by the biggest, scariest guy on board's side is his best possible survival strategy, but he's not sure how much scrutiny that stands up to when said guy wants to take on an even bigger, scarier guy with a whole cult at his beck and call.

But it all works out, because there was no disease anyway, and they end up on board the Liberator, which is certainly a much nicer place to be marooned 'til the end of eternity (and there are plenty of things to steal, not that there's anywhere to take them). So Vila figures all's well that ends well, and pretends he didn't feel a bit of panic when he saw a cultist point a dagger at Gan's heart.

* * *

Gan feels terrible about what happened with his inhibitor – he doesn't say as much, he's not the talkative type, Gan, but Vila can tell. Cally is quick to reassure him it's not his fault – if not with her words, with her mind, the way she does. Vila can tell she's doing that. She's the reassuring type, is Cally.

Vila thinks a lot in the few days after that. About Gan, and his chip, and how he got it in the first place. Vila didn't want to think about what Gan got convicted for, but he does know. He murdered the Federation trooper who murdered his woman. Fair enough. Most men would do the same (Vila isn't sure he would).

It's not like he thinks Gan is a violent man. Far from it. Vila considers himself a pretty good judge of character, and just how kind and gentle Gan is most of the time tells him whoever he killed, it was fully deserved.

He feels guilty even for thinking this, but he can't help but imagine that, if he were killed – perish the thought – someone would want to avenge him. It would be enough to drive them to distraction, to madness. He would want someone to love him as much as Gan must have loved whatshername.

But he's hardly likely to bring it up when Gan is still getting over his ordeal. Indeed when they're not drinking or gambling together he's uncharacteristically quiet, giving Gan the opportunity to be uncharacteristically vocal. “I think they're afraid of me,” he murmurs, soft and sad. Vila frowns. He doesn't like it when Gan's sad, he discovers. “I mean, I can't blame them. With what happened to my inhibitor. It wasn't really me doing it, you see, but even so...”

He trails off, and Vila wants to hold him, embrace him. He settles for a manly hand on the shoulder instead. “I mean, what are the chances of something like that happening again?” he asks, ignoring the voice in his head that says _not too bad, actually._ “Watch, once the rest of us get driven into a homicidal rage by the space bug of the week, then everyone won't be so judgemental.”

Gan laughs, and that makes him grin. Gan looks up. “You're not afraid of me, are you?”

“I could never be afraid of you.”

Vila's stomach flips. Okay, he didn't quite mean to say that aloud. Gan's smile widens, and Vila moves away awkwardly.

“And if _I'm_ not, I don't see why anyone else should be.” That gets him another laugh. Truth is though, Vila's heart is thumping in his chest. Maybe he's not being entirely honest.

* * *

Of course, Vila's not a fool. He knows there is one blindingly obvious reason for his nervous system to be on full alert around Gan, despite not really being afraid of him. The same reason he keeps following him around, because that's meant to make him safer, even though it really, clearly isn't.

But he's far too much of a coward to go acknowledging that honestly. It's why he's not tried talking to the girls about it, which he thinks is what you're meant to do with feelings you don't quite understand, because they'd just laugh at him and tell him exactly what's going on, and what he should go do about it. And Vila is not ready for that, no way.

So he's fine with the stalemate situation, where he and Gan spend half their lives together and sometimes he feels like Gan is the only one who really knows and cares about him, like he is the only one Gan can really talk and open up to, but there's nothing to it, they're just mates aboard this ship, same as all the rest of them.

Alright, that's not going to work out.

In the end, Vila decides there's only one real solution to this problem: to get drunk. He's very good at getting drunk. He tries not to do it too often, a professional thief needs to have his wits about him, but when he does he's very good at it. Good enough to sort out whatever it is that's going through his head, and with any luck, not have to remember it in the morning.

Gan, placid soul that he is, likes to get a proper night's sleep (for whatever questionable definition of night applies on board a space ship), and so Vila isn't drinking with him tonight. He's actually drinking with Avon, of all people, which – if he didn't remember to vizfilm that for blackmail purposes, he'll never forgive himself.

Of course, the problem with drunk him is that he might do things sober him wouldn't. Like go stumbling into Gan's quarters in the early hours of the morning (for a questionable definition of morning).

Gan doesn't even seem surprised. “Vila.” His voice is scratchy, like Vila woke him from his sleep, but he's not mad about that. He chuckles when he sees Vila stumble into the furniture. “You're drunk.”

There's no point lying. “Very.” He trips on something, possibly his own feet, and ends up falling, directly onto Gan's broad chest. _Oh._

Within seconds there are warm arms wrapped around him, and oh, alright. Vila wasn't expecting that. “I'm not bothering you, am I?” Vila asks, nerves flaring up even through his alcohol-induced haze. “Because I could go.”

“Not at all.” Gan's arm's wrap around him tighter, almost tight enough to be crushing – but not quite. Gan seems to know the exact point he should stop. Vila likes it. “I'd like you to stay with me.”

Well that's that then. Vila rests his head against Gan's breast, and as warm and comfortable as he feels, out slips: “I'm not even sure why I came here.”

“Anyone would think you wanted to sleep with me.”

There's a pause. He looks up, and he and Gan lock eyes a moment, many things running through their heads at the same time. Vila feels his mouth run dry, and hears his heartbeat pulsing. “W-would that be so bad?” he stammers, timid.

But any fear he might feel is assuaged by Gan's grin. “Not at all.” He presses a gentle kiss to Vila's temple. “Get some sleep. We can talk about this in the morning.”

Vila sighs heavily, and curls into Gan's yielding body to do just that. Vila always feels safe with him.


End file.
